Volkswagen to increase women in its workforce

The company will launch special programmes to develop the existing potential.

German auto major, Volkswagen, aims to increase the strength of its women workforce from 12 per cent to 30 per cent, by 2025.

To achieve this, the company will launch three frameworks – Sakhi Group, Kompass Programme and Mentor Programme. These programmes are aimed at developing the existing potentials with excellent professional accomplishments and departmental performance.

As part of this initiative, Volkswagen organised a get-together for its 120 women employees, who work at the auto company’s Pune Plant, in Chakan, and Regional Competence Centre (RCC) in Hinjewadi. In this event, the participants were informed about the key action plan of this initiative, especially designed for women.

Peter Raussendorf, head of human resources and admin at Volkswagen, India, says, “This is an effort towards creating a strong foundation to nurture and grow women’s talent within the company.”

Through these programmes, Volkswagen also plans to create opportunities for new recruits to develop and grow with the rest of the company in a conducive and inclusive environment.

The Sakhi Group will allow its women employees to exchange ideas about the impact of women on the global economy, best practices, Volkswagen’s business, networking and discussions. The participants will get a chance to build skills to help women define their personal success and focus on career advancement.

In the Kompass Programme, a selected batch of women, who are already settled in their respective working areas and have proven their skills in their daily jobs, will go through a nine-month long training programme.

Kompass also includes a six-month cross-functional project to help support and accelerate the development of high-potential women professionals.

The Mentor Programme in the developing framework is aimed at mentoring and training already existing high-potential women leaders, through a nine-month project-driven programme, with formal and informal sharing of strategies and best practices.